A study of over 44000 Britons found that vegetarians had a 32% lower risk of hospitalization or death from ischaemic heart disease.
The EPIC Oxford study followed a total of 44561 men and women living in England and Scotland, 34% of whom consumed a vegetarian diet. After an average follow-up of 11.6 years, vegetarians had lower mean BMI, non-HDL-cholesterol concentration, and systolic blood pressure, and as a result a lower risk of ischaemic heart disease.